On May 7, 2021, judging panels consisting of business and industry professionals from across the nation decided the winners of the 12th annual New York Business Plan Competition. Hosted by the Upstate Capital Association of New York, the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) is New York’s intercollegiate entrepreneurship competition. This year, the 2021 Grand Prize winner will receive $10,000 and first, second and third place winners will receive cash prizes and ongoing mentorship to advance their student-led ventures. In addition, there were many special prizes awarded, including the SEFCU MWBE Awards, the social entrepreneur award, the veteran founder award, the Thompson Hine Venture Backable Business award, and the Fuzehub Pandemic Response award.
Every team competed in one of six industry tracks: AgTech & Food, Infrastructure, First Responder & Defense, MedTech & Life Sciences, Education & Well-Being, Consumer & Business Products and Software & Services.
2021 Grand Prize Winner
PediCure, Stony Brook University: Creating a more accessible toenail trimmer
The first place winners, by track:
AgTech & Food
Ripely, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: The largest innovation in fighting food waste since refrigeration
Consumer & Business Products
Fiction Stop, New York University: Serialized ebook subscription for sci-fi and fantasy readers
Education & Well-Being
PediCure, Stony Brook University: A convenient and comfortable toenail trimmer for aging in place
Infrastructure, First Responder & Defense
KLAW Industries, Clarkson University, Binghamton University: Process for contaminated glass for concrete manufacturers
MedTech & Life Sciences
VAMPIRO, Touro College: Suction sleeve that enhances the suctioning of fluid in laparoscopic surgery
Software & Services
Ambassadoor Technologies, Syracuse University: Connecting small businesses to nano-influencers
The complete list of winning teams follows below.
“We lead the NYBPC to help seed the next generation of people building businesses. We believe that education, mentorship and competition are all essential components to building a healthy entrepreneurship community, and are proud to deliver this program annually to college and graduate students across New York,” says Noa Simons, Upstate Capital’s President and CEO. “Since the inception of the competition, we estimate more than 6,000 students have competed. The program has generated more than $100 million in economic impact, helping to launch hundreds of new ventures. We’re especially proud of our MWBE participation, which is nearly 50% each year.”
“We sponsor this competition to encourage New York’s students to present their innovative ideas and technologies. It’s through that innovation that we will meet tomorrow’s opportunities,” says Kathi Lanni, the Chief Community Officer at SEFCU and this year’s MWBE Award sponsor.
This year, 607 students competed across the state on 239 teams from 55 colleges and universities.
2021 New York Business Plan Competition Winners
AgTech & Food Winners
First place: Ripely, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Second place: HomeHives, Binghamton University
Third place: LEVELLE Inc., Cornell Tech – NYC
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise – Green Gallery: Goods & Produce, SUNY
Polytechnic Institute
Consumer & Business Products Winners
First place: Fiction Stop, New York University
Second place: Sice-Me, Syracuse University
Third place: Memoberry, SUNY College at Plattsburgh
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise: Compact Kitchen, SUNY at New Paltz
Education & Well-Being Winners
First place: PediCure, Stony Brook University
Second place: Uman4Uman, Skidmore College
Third place: KaleidoscopeME™, Rochester Institute of Technology
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise: Project Irene, Utica College
Infrastructure, First Responder & Defense Prize Winners
First place: KLAW Industries, Clarkson University & Binghamton University
Second place: Life After Life, Cornell University
Third place: Palmer Technologies LLC, Clarkson University
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise: NorML, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedTech & Life Sciences Winners
First place: VAMPIRO, Touro College
Second place: WetWare BioSystems, University of Rochester
Third place: Limitless Medical Technologies, University at Buffalo
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise: CMS Biotechnologies LLC, Hofstra University
Software & Services Winners
First place: Ambassadoor Technologies, Syracuse University
Second place: Downtown Dating, Stony Brook University
Third place: Yolo Shadow, University of Rochester
SEFCU Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise: Communitii, University at Buffalo
Special Prizes
Upstate Capital Social Entrepreneur Award: Grandma’s House, Touro College
Upstate Capital Veteran Founder Award: Shrimpie, United States Military Academy
Thompson Hine Venture Backable Business Award: EZ Health Inc., Columbia University in the City of New York
Fuzehub Pandemic Response Award: NorML, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
About The NYBPC
The New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) is New York’s intercollegiate business competition.
The program is administered by the Upstate Capital Association of New York. The statewide NYBPC steering committee and regional organizers in every region all volunteer their time to coordinate and execute the program. Funding for administration and prize money is provided by sponsors and philanthropists who support the innovation economy, including NY Ventures, NYSTAR, several successful entrepreneurs and many philanthropic donors. Since 2010, more than 6,000 students from public and private New York community colleges, 4-year schools, and universities have pitched their ideas and ventures at the NYBPC. More than $1M in prize money has been awarded to over 150 student-led ventures, and many successful companies have been launched through this platform, including SparkCharge, Farther Farms, Purple Sun, Buffalo Automation Group, Vital Vio, and many more.
https://www.clarkson.edu/news/winners-2021-new-york-business-plan-competition-announced
